Tragic Scenes: Pakistan Church Attack

A suicide bomb attack on a historic church in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 56 people on Sunday, officials said, the deadliest-ever assault on the country's Christian minority.

The bombing in Peshawar, which wounded another 120 people, underlines the threat posed by Islamic extremists as the government seeks a peace deal with domestic Taliban militants.

It will likely intensify criticism from those who believe that negotiating peace with militants is a mistake.

It occurred as hundreds of worshippers were coming out of the church in the city's Kohati Gate district after services to get a free meal of rice offered on the front lawn

There were at least 400 worshippers at the church when the attack occurred

The white walls of the All Saints Church were pockmarked with holes likely caused by ball bearings or other metal objects contained in the bombs to cause maximum damage. Blood stained the floor and was splashed on the walls.

The number of casualties from the blasts was so high that the hospital was running out of caskets for the dead and beds for the wounded

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion will likely fall on one of the country's many Islamic militant groups.

Islamic militants have been blamed for previous attacks on the Muslim country's Christian minority, as well as Muslim groups they consider heretics.